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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    Playback

    Featured In Issue 167, May/June 2012

    Picture3.5
    Sound4.5
    WSR Score2.5
    Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
    (Studio/Distributor):
    Magnolia Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number):
    10456
    (MPAA Rating):
    R
    (Rating Reason):
    For bloody violence, sexual content/nudity and some teen partying
    (Retail Price):
    $29.98
    (Disc Type):
    Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    98
    (Color Type):
    Color With B/W Sequences
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    A
    (Theatrical Year):
    2012
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    05/08/12
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Michael A. Nickles
    (Screenplay/Written By):
    (Story):
    (Music):
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer):
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor):
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers):
    (Co-Producers):
    (Producers):
    (Academy Awards):
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
    (Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
    (Disc Soundtrack):
    DTS HD Lossless 5.1
    (Theatrical Sound):
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (DTS Bit Rate):
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
    (Additional Languages):
    (French Language):
    (Spanish Language):
    (Chinese Language):
    (Subtitles):
    (Cantonese Language):
    (Mandarin Language):
    (Japanese Language):
    (Italian Language):
    (German Language):
    (Portuguese Language):

    Based on the prequel novella, Playback: Light And Shadow, Playback follows a group of high school students who begin to dig into their town's infamous past and unwittingly unlock a dark secret that has been kept hidden for years. Now an evil spirit has awakened and will stop at nothing to get what it wants. (Gary Reber)

    Special features include a behind-the-scenes featurette (HD 07:35), a photo gallery, HDNet: A Look At Playback (HD 04:43), the trailer, up-front previews, and BD-Live functionality.

    The 1.78:1 1080p AVC picture is a low-budget digital production but decent. The imagery exhibits a filmic grainy appearance, with generally acceptable contrast. Blacks are deep and shadow delineation is revealing. The color palette strikes generally strong natural hues with fleshtones that are varied in tone but natural looking. Resolution is generally soft throughout, with no particular distinguished detail rendering. The picture plays with numerous flash insertions that are intended to startle and frighten. Overall, this is an acceptable viewing experience that doesn't much exceed mediocre picture quality. (Gary Reber)

    The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack features an aggressive, directionalized surround presence that jolts intensely throughout, for creepy effect. Sound effects and atmospherics are presented with aggressive localization and loud impact, which effectively expands the sense of soundfield envelopment. The music score is comprised of synthesized orchestration, with unusual sonics. Dialogue sounds natural, but at times is wanting in spatial integration. Deep bass in the .1 LFE extends to sub-25 Hz frequencies, for dramatic effect. This is a soundtrack that uses a lot of sonic effects to create tension, but is effective in complementing the
    storytelling. (Gary Reber)

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    Todd Lawrence
    26864 Mandelieu Drive, Murrieta, CA 92562 • Phone: 951 676 4914 • Fax: 951 693 2960
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